Reviews

The Serpent in Heaven by Charlaine Harris

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lynguy1's review against another edition

4.0

Intrigue, romance, danger, suspense, and much more contribute to an exciting novel in the fourth book in the Gunnie (Lizbeth) Rose series. The Serpent in Heaven is a mix of historical fiction, urban fantasy, western, and alternate history and is set in San Diego which is now part of the Holy Russian Empire.

Felicia is Lizbeth Rose’s half-sister. This novel picks up with Felicia attending the Grigori Rasputin School. No one other than her roommate Anna knows that Felicia has any magic capabilities. Felicia’s father was Russian and her mother was from Mexico. As the granddaughter of Rasputin, she provides blood for transfusions to Tsar Alexei, and is seen as a charity case at the school. However, when Felicia is kidnapped, the facts of her heritage become known as well as her true abilities. As she is attacked multiple times, only her abilities and her courage can save her.

Felicia has a gift for languages, has started to show her true age, and gains confidence in herself and her abilities as the story unfolds. Her friend Peter is good-natured, agreeable, quick-thinking, and clever until she gets jealous and believes rumors about her. Other characters play secondary roles with varying degrees of depth.

Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this addition to the series. The characters are compelling, led by strong and capable protagonist. However, I was excepting Lizbeth to play a significant role in the book instead of just a cameo appearance via a telephone call.

There was always something new happening in this story. Danger, action, training, and heart-wrenching moments are interspersed throughout it. Connecting with Felicia was easy. This well-crafted story hooked me in the beginning and kept me turning the pages.
Overall, this novel brings thrills, action, family drama, political intrigue, magic, loyalty, romance, power and much more making it a definite page-turner. Exceptional characters, intense fight scenes, and family drama made this an entertaining read.

If you like alternate history, action adventure, thrillers and fantasy, then this series is for you. I recommend reading the books in order. The first novel explains the alternative history aspect that is not fully explained in the succeeding novels.

I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was November 15, 2022.

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My 4.43 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.

looloolibby's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jazijaz's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

wwh9x's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

michellefre's review against another edition

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4.0

I had a hard time starting this book because I had a hard time understanding what was going on because I hadn’t read the first three books when I won this one in a giveaway. I am so glad I finally read it because it was phenomenal! I can’t wait to read the other books in the series now so I have some more background knowledge. This book was packed full of action and I loved everything about it. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Goodreads for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest feedback.